better off as lovers
by talkingtummy
Summary: when ruu and wanya leave, kanata and miyu become the best of friends. but when nanami, santa, etc. think there's more to it than friendship, misunderstandings abound!
1. Chapter 1

"Miyu!" Kanata called out. "Where are you?"

"Here," he heard her call from the porch.

Miyu was staring up at the clear night sky, the stars reflected in her beautiful emerald eyes.

He walked over to where she was sitting. "What are you doing here?"

"Wondering where Wanya and Ruu-kun are."

"Oh." He sat down next to her and looked up at the stars. "What a beautiful night."

"Yeah…"

"What's the matter?" he asked, noticing her sad face.

"Nothing… I just wish Ruu-kun and Wanya would come back."

"They only just left an hour ago."

"I know… but I miss them already," she said quietly. Then without warning, she burst into noisy tears. "I'm sorry," she hiccupped, "I just got a little emotional… I feel so lonely without them…" Tears ran down her face.

To Miyu's shock, Kanata wrapped her in a hug. "Ruu and Wanya may have left, but at least we have each other. I'm always here for you."

Surprised but comforted at this sudden show of affection, Miyu returned the hug and whispered, "Me, too. Come to think of it, we've been through a lot together."

He murmured his agreement, and they fell silent, each one contemplating their past misadventures.

Miyu rested her head on Kanata's shoulder. "Kanata?"

"Hmm?"

"I know we always fight… but life wouldn't be the same without you."

He blushed. "I feel the same way. I think we've become best friends, in a weird, crazy way."

She gave a giggle. "Best friends. I like the sound of that."

When she didn't speak for a while, Kanata looked down at her face. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was slow and steady. She was fast asleep.

_She must have been tired from all the excitement,_ he mused as he gently lifted her to her room.

Brushing the golden locks from her face, Kanata smiled faintly. _She looks so peaceful when she's asleep._

He straightened up, and, with a last look at the sleeping girl behind him, left.


	2. stolen moments

Miyu slowly woke up to a peaceful Saturday morning. She savored the quiet in the temple for a minute before realizing that it was too quiet for comfort.

She listened hard. There was no bustle in the kitchen, no sounds of cooking. No footsteps.

"Kanata?" she called out, getting up. She entered the kitchen and swallowed when she saw it was empty. Not a sign of Kanata anywhere.

She started to freak out when she saw that the living room was deserted, too. _Kanata usually wakes up way earlier! Where is he? Did he l-leave…?_

Miyu heard the front door open and close. In her haste to see who was there, she tripped and landed flat on her face.

"Miyu!" she heard Kanata yell. He grabbed her arm and tried to help her to her feet.

_Kanata…_ "You… you idiot!" she screamed at him, tugging her arm away.

"What did I do now?" he yelled back.

She put her hands on her hips. "I thought you left me!"

"Why would I leave you?" he asked, utterly perplexed at Miyu's behavior.

"I don't know!"

He held up a small plastic bag. "For your information, Miyu, I just ran out to buy bacon."

"Bacon? You left me for _bacon_?" she asked incredulously.

"I know how much you like bacon, so I went to buy some."

Miyu's rage was averted by Kanata's thoughtfulness. To cover up her surprise, she inquired, "We can afford bacon?"

"I used my allowance."

"How sweet," she joked, giving him a quick hug.

He smiled and said, "I better fry this now. Make some orange, will you?"

Miyu obliged, and as she mixed the instant orange juice, her mind wandered. Ever since Wanya and Luu-kun returned to Planet Otto, she and Kanata had been getting along better than ever. _We're best friends. _

_Weird,_ she mused as they sat down to eat.

When breakfast was finished, she and Kanata did the dishes. Then he turned to her and asked, "What do you want to do today?"

"Hmm…" Miyu thought, "Well, we haven't gone to the mall in ages."

"Okay, the mall it is," he decided.

An hour later, they were nearly there.

Miyu looked left and right and started to cross the street, when a car came out of nowhere and nearly ran her over. The driver blasted his horn and yelled, "Get out of the way!"

Kanata grabbed Miyu's hand and pulled her back, saying angrily, "Be careful about crossing the street!"

"Well, sorry!" she pouted.

"You could have been splattered all over the road!" he added, but his tone softened as he said, "I just don't want you to get hurt." He took her hand as they crossed the street.

"I know," she said, squeezing his hand and smiling at him.

They wandered around the department store for a while when Miyu exclaimed, "Nanami-chan! Aya-chan! Kurosu-kun!"

Sure enough, Nanami, Aya, and Santa were walking towards them.

"Kanata!" Santa exclaimed. "You didn't tell me you were —" He broke off when his eyes fell on Miyu's and Kanata's intertwined hands.

"Oh, you didn't tell me you were on a date, Miyu-chan," Aya said.

Miyu was puzzled. "Date? Oh —" she shook her head, laughing. "Kanata-kun and I aren't on a date."

"Then why are you holding hands?"

"I was just helping her cross the street," Kanata explained.

Nanami pointed out, "We're in the mall,"

"Oh, right." He let go of Miyu's hand.

Nanami muttered, "They are acting so… nice to each other." They were watching Kanata and Miyu, who were a short distance away, looking at something.

"Are they going out?" Aya asked keenly.

"Miyu would have told us."

They watched as Miyu said something that made Kanata laugh, and he tucked a lock of her blond hair behind her ear.

"If you say so, Nanami-chan…" Aya said doubtfully.

Miyu leaned over and whispered, "I think Aya-chan and Nanami-chan think we're going out."

Kanata looked over at Nanami and Aya, who were staring holes in them. Amused, he said, "Let's humor them,"

A grin started to spread on her face. "You mean —"

He winked. "Let's make this good." He cleared his throat and said loudly, "Miyu, honey, I'm hungry."

She wrapped an arm around his waist. "Okay, let's go find something to eat, sweetie."

"You're so thoughtful. That's why I love you."

"Oh, stop it, you're embarrassing me." She kissed his cheek.

Kanata was so stunned by her kiss that he quite forgot that they were pretending. He dragged her to an empty stairwell.

"What is it?" she asked.

"You… you kissed me," he said dazedly.

"Yes, I did."

"B-b-but…" he was incoherently babbling now, "w-why?"

She raised her eyebrow. "We were pretending, right? You told me to make it good."

"Yeah, but…"

"I'm your best friend. If Akira is allowed to kiss you, I should be allowed, too." Miyu folded her arms. "Although if you don't want me to, that's fine…"

"I want you to." He swooped down and kissed her cheek, making her shriek, "Kanata!" Red patches appeared on her cheeks. "What are you doing?"

"It wouldn't be fair if you're the only one allowed. I should be, too."

She blinked. "All right, fine… But don't surprise me like that…"

To her amazement, Kanata kissed her twice on each cheek. "I like surprising you. You look cute when you're all red."

"Kanata!"

Hidden behind a bench, Santa, Nanami, and Aya gasped in amazement as they saw Kanata kiss Miyu.


	3. spies

"Seriously?" Christine asked incredulously. "Seriously?"

Nanami, Santa, and Aya just finished recounting what they saw to Nozomu and Chris, who could not believe what they heard.

Aya commented, "It's a good thing you and Nozomu-kun are going out, or else you would have murdered Miyu-chan!"

"I still can't believe this, though," Nozomu said. "I didn't think Miyu-cchi and Saionji had feelings for each other."

"Well, I was sort of expecting this to happen. You know, with the business of Ruu and all. Besides, I always thought Kanata got jealous when he sees Miyu with you, Nozomu-kun…" Nanami smirked.

"We know what we saw, Hikarigaoka," Santa declared. "In fact, we'll prove it to you!"

"Yeah? How?" Nozomu asked.

"We'll spy on Kouzouki-san and Kanata when they go out!"

The gang murmured their agreement.

"Sssh! There they are!" Aya whispered to the group as they hid behind a big blue mailbox. Kanata and Miyu were going grocery shopping, and it was the perfect opportunity to do some spying.

They watched the two enter the grocery and grab a basket.

"Okay, let's go."

Smiling, Miyu watched Kanata pick out the perfect pumpkin, his handsome face scrunched with concentration. She loved how intense he could get when it came to his favorite food.

Kanata felt her eyes on him and he slowly turned to look at her. "What, is there a giant zit on my face or something?"

Her pretty face reddened and she stuck out her tongue. "You _are_ a zit."

"And you're a pus-filled boil." He snorted.

"Shut up." She brushed his brown hair from his eyes.

He took her hand and led her to the next aisle. "What do we need over here?"

Miyu consulted her list. "Low-fat cereal drinks."

"What for?"

"I, um, gained a few pounds," she admitted.

He looked her up and down and said in a surprised tone, "Really? It doesn't show."

"Don't tease. Ever since Ruu-kun left, I kept getting fatter and fatter because of all the comfort foods I eat."

"I'm not teasing!" he said, putting an arm around her slender shoulders. "You look absolutely amazing."

Blushing, Miyu said, "You're just saying that."

"I am not." He kissed her cheek.

"Kanata!" she exclaimed, exasperated.

He winked. "You're beautiful just the way you are."

Hidden in the next aisle over, Chris and Nozomu stifled their gasps.

Aya, Nanami, and Santa stood next to them with smug looks on their faces. Their eyes spoke to each other: _We told you so._

Chris's mouth was wide open. "T-they kissed!"

"In a grocery, no less!" Nozomu added.

"Are they going out?" Chris asked Nanami.

"We're not really sure."

Santa excitedly said, "We'll just have to find out for ourselves! Listen, I have a plan."


	4. wrestling

Having just eaten lunch, Miyu wandered into the living room. She plopped down on the couch and started flipping through channels.

"Boring." _Flip_. "Crappy." _Flip_. "Cheesy." _Flip_.

"Oi, Kanata! You got any good DVDs?" she called.

She heard his footsteps and dropped the remote when she saw him walk in shirtless, holding a couple of DVDs.

Miyu's face burned as she quickly turned away. _Too late._ She felt the image sear into her mind.

"What's your problem?" Kanata asked as she faced him with her eyes screwed shut.

"Put on a shirt!"

"No way. It's too hot."

The last word made Miyu blush harder. "I don't care. You wear a shirt or else I'll scream."

He let out a long, exasperated sigh. "Fine, fine. You can open your eyes now. I'm clothed."

She opened her eyes and saw Kanata… still shirtless. "Kanata Saionji! Put on a shirt _now_!"

"No," he said stubbornly.

"Pervert!" she screeched, throwing a pillow at him.

"What is so wrong with being shirtless?" He plopped down next to her and turned to TV to a wrestling match. "Yeah!"

Still blushing, Miyu shoved him, hard. "Yuck! Wrestling stinks." She grabbed the remote out of his hands and flipped to a music channel.

"Hey!" Kanata argued, snatching the remote. "I was watching that!"

"Not anymore," she teased, dangling the remote in front of his eyes. He made a grab for it.

They started to wrestle, so furiously that they rolled off the couch onto the floor. Laughing, Miyu pounded Kanata's bare chest, but her efforts were futile. Soon, he pinned her to the ground.

She struggled but he was too strong. "All right, all right! You win!" she gasped, trying breathe normally again.

But her breath caught in her throat again when she became aware of the fact that their bodies were very close together. She could feel his warm breath tickling her senses.

Kanata loosened his hold, but his eyes seemed to be pinning her down. Her golden hair was messy and fanned out beneath her. Her pretty face was red. She was panting slightly.

A faint click from the doorway made them look around.

What they saw nearly made their hearts stop.


	5. surprise!

Nanami, Aya, Christine, Nozomu, and Santa were all standing in the doorway, transfixed.

Miyu immediately pushed Kanata off her, stammering, "N-Nanami-chan… Aya-chan… What are you guys d-d-doing here?"

"We… We've come to see you," Aya said feebly.

They stared at each other for a long while, quite at a loss for words.

"Well," Kanata said briskly to break the embarrassed silence, "let's go into the kitchen. We'll cook something for you."

As he and Miyu disappeared into the kitchen, Nanami turned to the others and whispered, "Did you see that? Kanata was _on top of _Miyu-chan!"

"This is unbelievable!" Chris added. A familiar black aura burned around her as she muttered, "_So friendly, so friendly_…"

Nozomu nudged her and said pointedly, "I know, _darling_."

She looked at him and reassured, "Oh no, sweetie, I'm not jealous. It's just that this situation is so… weird!"

"They should tell us about their relationship," Aya said, looking upset. "We're their friends."

"Maybe they're not ready to tell us yet," Nanami said, patting her on the back.

Santa waved to get their attention and pointed silently to the kitchen. The other tiptoed next to him and, their eyes peeking beside the doorway, watched the conversation within.

"…that was so embarrassing," Miyu was saying as she chopped onions with such brutality that the chopping board was in danger of being sliced in half.

"I know," Kanata replied. "I wonder what they thought of it?"

"I don't even want to know. They can keep their opinion to themselves." A particularly loud _thunk_ sounded through the air.

Miyu let out a bloodcurdling scream of agony.

Alarmed, Kanata dropped the salad bowl he was holding. "Miyu? What happened?"

"I cut myself." She held up her left ring finger.

Kanata examined it and said, exasperated, "It's just a little cut. You scared the crap out of me."

"Well, it hurts," she said defensively.

He kissed her finger. "It won't anymore."

Aya stifled a gasp. "H-he kissed her! Again!"

"This is crazy!" Nanami whispered ferociously as they sat down again. "They are keeping secrets again!"

"Here comes the food!" Miyu said cheerily, bearing a heavily laden tray. Her smile turned into a look of uncertainty when her friends greeted her with weird looks.

Santa was grinning at her in an eerie, creepy way. Nanami's stare had something like accusation in her eyes. Aya looked troubled. Chris and Nozomu were grimacing.

"Uh, are you guys okay?" she ventured to ask as she served them sushi. "You seem a bit… off."

Aya stabbed her sushi with her chopsticks. "We're fine, Miyu-chan."

Then Kanata entered and served them red iced tea. "What brings you all here?" he asked as he sat beside Miyu to eat.

The group looked at each other. Finally, it was Aya who said, "We just wanted to surprise you guys."

"And boy, did we surprise you," Santa muttered. Nanami pinched his leg under the table.

They ate in stiff silence, occasionally broken by someone asking for the soy sauce or wasabi.

Softly, Kanata said, "Miyu, you have something on your mouth."

Miyu looked up as she crammed another piece of sushi into her mouth already bulging with food. "Whaf dig you fay…?"

"I said, you're clumsy." He reached over and gently wiped the soy sauce from the corner of her lips.

Watching from the corner of her eye, Nanami nearly choked. _Whatever was going on with Miyu and Kanata, _she thought,_ I have to figure it out!_


	6. the promise ring

"Kanata!" Miyu yelled over her shoulder. "We're going to be late for school!"

Scowling, she combed her blonde hair, which was still wet. They had waken up forty-five minutes late. The night before, Miyu told Kanata to wake her up, as her alarm clock ran out of batteries. Frustratingly enough, Kanata forgot to set his alarm.

"Kanata!" she screamed again. "If you're not out here in twenty seconds, I will leave without you!"

Messy-haired and wearing a distinctly disgruntled expression, Kanata joined her outside and they started walking to school.

"This is all your fault," she informed him as they quickened their pace. "You were supposed to wake me up."

"And you were supposed to buy batteries a week ago," he replied coolly. He ran his hand through his hair, making it even messier.

His calm demeanor made Miyu even angrier. "I asked you to wake me up today," she reminded him through gritted teeth.

Still in that cool, calm tone, he answered, "I told you, I forgot to set my alarm."

"You are a selfish pig!" she said hotly, stamping her foot. "The _one thing_ I ask of you, one simple thing I want, you can't do!"

"It wasn't like I wanted it to happen!" he said, losing his temper.

They fell into an icy silence. Kanata kept shooting furtive looks at his blonde companion.

Finally, he said, "Look, I'm sorry, all right?"

She gave him a sharp look, and he felt it pierce his soul.

But a small smile from her told Kanata that he was forgiven, and they hurried off to class.

Nanami's eyes narrowed as Miyu and Kanata entered the classroom. She was still suspicious of their actions, though they claimed many times that they were just friends.

She was determined to find out what was going on. So when lunchtime came, she asked Miyu, "Hey, what's going on with you and Kanata?"

"I told you already, we're just friends," Miyu said wearily and a little impatiently. "You've asked that countless times, Nanami-chan. Now," she added, rapping her fingers on the table, "Where's Kanata-kun? He said he'd join us for lunch."

"Miyu-chan," Aya said suddenly, seizing her left hand, "what on earth is this?"

On Miyu's left ring finger, a shining silver ring sat. The small stones set into it twinkled merrily in the sunlight.

Nanami leaned in to look, too, and gasped. "It's… It's beautiful!"

"Stunning!" Chris added, now that she, Santa and Nozomu joined them. "Who's it from?"

Blushing, Miyu said, "Um… Kanata-kun."

"What?" Santa howled. "He told me last week he was flat broke! And now he buys you an expensive diamond ring!"

"It's only cubic zirconium!" she said hastily.

Nozomu chimed enthusiastically, "So you and Kanata are engaged now?"

"Engaged!" she yelled in surprise. She lowered her voice. "Engaged? It's just a promise ring!"

"A promise ring," Aya sighed. "How romantic."

She laughed. "It's not romantic."

"Really?" Chris challenged, a sly look on her face. "If it's as unromantic as you say it is, then you wouldn't mind giving us a detailed account of what happened, right?"

Miyu looked like a deer in the headlights. "Ah…"

"Come on, Miyu-chan…" Her friends urged, leaning towards her expectantly.

She blinked and sighed. What choice did she have?

**-flashback-**

It was an evening after school, on a dreary Wednesday. Miyu was struggling with her Physics homework when she heard Kanata call from the dining room, "Dinner's served!"

Throwing her pencil down, Miyu went out of her room, eager to eat Kanata's delicious cooking. "What's for dinner…"

Her voice trailed off. The lights were dimmed and lit candles were everywhere, giving the room a distinctly romantic atmosphere.

Miyu found her voice. "Kanata-kun? What's all this?"

He came out from the kitchen and said, "I thought we'd have a nice meal for a change. Sit down; dinner will be ready soon."

She sat down and waited patiently, wondering what he was up to. She didn't have to wait long before Kanata entered, carrying their dinner.

"Pumpkin soup?" Miyu laughed, peering into the bowl. "This is your idea of a special dinner?"

"It's delicious," he defended, turning red.

She spooned some into her mouth. "It is delicious," she agreed, and for a few minute, they ate in comfortable silence.

Suddenly, Kanata said, "Miyu…"

"Yes?"

"We're best friends, right?"

She replied quietly, "We are."

He looked forlorn. "If we're best friends, why don't you tell me about your problems?"

"What problems?" she asked feebly, though she knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Your failing grade in Physics."

"Oh, that. It's not a big deal," she said airily, trying to wave it off.

"Not a big deal, yet Nanami tells me you cried for days?"

She was speechless.

"We're best friends. But," he said sadly, "you keep forgetting that."

"Well… yeah," she admitted. Alarmed by his unusual behavior, she rushed on, "I'm just not used to it yet. I mean, we never used to tell each other much about our problems."

His silence worried her. "Kanata-kun, I'm sorry…"

Quietly, he pulled a tiny, purple velvet-covered box from his pocket and showed it to her.

"What's this?"

He opened it, and she gasped. Inside was a gorgeous, thin silver ring set with sparkling stones.

"It's wonderful," she breathed.

He slid it on her left ring finger. "It's a promise ring. So you'll never forget that's I'm always here for you."

Tears welled up in her eyes. "Kanata-kun!" She reached over and gave him a tight hug.

**-end of flashback-**

"…and that's what happened," she finished. Seeing her friends' awed looks, she sternly added, "Close your jaws. You guys are so paranoid. Don't read more into this than what I told you."

Her eyes wide, Nanami said, "Miyu-chan! How come you forgot to tell us about this?"

"I knew you'd ask me _again_ if me and Kanata are going out."

"Aren't you?" Santa demanded. "You roll around half-naked, can't keep your hands to yourselves, and give each other gifts. If you're not going out, what _are_ you two doing?"

His words brought a memory rushing back to Miyu. Something she hadn't told them…

**-flashback-**

Finally releasing Kanata from her hug, Miyu gazed up at him with shimmering emerald eyes and said sincerely, "Thank you."

His warm amber eyes blazed with happiness as he murmured, "You're welcome."

_He was so close,_ Miyu thought hazily. _Too close._ She could see every detail of his face: his thick eyelashes, his smooth skin, his soft-looking lips…

They stayed still for a long time. Lost in each other's eyes.

_Will we… kiss?_ she wondered.

"Miyu." His voice was a whisper, full of emotions Miyu could not place.

She breathed back, "Kanata."

They could have stayed in that dream forever.

But the ringing of the telephone interrupted, and suddenly they were back in reality.

**-end of flashback-**

"Enough." Kanata's voice boomed over them.

Miyu was startled out of her thoughts.

Everyone turned to look at Kanata, with his hands folded and a hard expression on his face.

"If we say that we're not going out, that should be enough for everyone."

She stared at him. Standing in the sunlight, he looked struck an impressive figure. She felt her heart flutter.

The others, though, were unimpressed.

"This is outrageous!" Christine raged.

"We should do something." Nozomu suggested, gripping Chris' hand very tightly.

Aya spoke up. "Don't you think this is the moment to reveal our secret weapon?"

Mischievousness glittered in Nanami's eyes as she turned to Santa. "Kurosu-kun, is it ready?"

"Absolutely." His wide grin confirmed it.

"Good." Nanami said determinedly. "We do it tonight."

**What the heck are Santa and the others up to? What's their "secret weapon"? you'll have to wait to find out! (Nanami is like the leader in this fic. She's the one who comes up with all the crazy ideas.)**


	7. blackmail

"Ready?" Nanami asked her companions, who nodded. She raised her fist and knocked three times.

Miyu opened the door and said in surprise, "Nanami-chan! What brings you here again?"

"We have business to do, Miyu-chan." Nanami barged in, followed by the others.

"Business?" she asked, puzzled, as she closed the door.

Santa looked grave. "Yes. Serious business, Kouzouki-san. Now if you don't mind, have a seat…"

"Nice of you to give orders in my house, Santa," Kanata joked as he entered. "What's going on here?"

"You should sit down, too, Saionji-kun. This might shock you." Aya said solemnly.

Completely bewildered, Miyu and Kanata sat side by side, looking at their five friends' grim looks as they took seats.

Miyu managed to say, "You're all acting really weird. It's freaking me out!"

"Yes, well," Santa began as he pulled something from his bag, "you'll freak out more when we post this all over town." He showed it to them.

Leaning in, Kanata and Miyu gasped in unison. It was a picture of them, the scene familiar: Kanata shirtless, on top of Miyu, with their faces less than a foot away. To anyone, it would look like something was going on between them.

Kanata's blood boiled. "What the devil is this?!"

"If you don't admit to your relationship, we will post this all over Heiomachi."

With a flash of understanding, Miyu recalled the _click _sound they heard. "Nanami-chan… This is insane. Please, stop this."

It was Aya who responded to her. "Miyu-chan, you and Saionji-kun have kept too many things to yourselves. I think we can be trusted enough. Please stop lying to us."

Miyu was staring, transfixed, at the photo. The happy bubble that she felt inside her heart when she and Kanata became best friends, popped suddenly, leaving her cold and miserable.

She could hardly believe that she and Kanata look like lovers. She understood, now, why her friends were so suspicious.

"This is crazy!" Kanata raged, slamming the table with his fist. "It's _you_ guys who should trust _us_! Miyu and I are _not_ together. Why would be keep something like that secret?" He cursed and cracked his knuckles.

No one spoke for a while. Then, frowning, Nozomu whispered to Nanami, "They look pretty convincing to me."

He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry we bothered you, Miyu-cchi. We'll be leaving now." he stood up and left, dragging a reluctant Chris with him.

Santa, Aya, and Nanami didn't know what to do. They stared into their hands as Miyu stood and broke the tense silence. "I never would have believed this of any of you," she said, her voice unusually harsh. She left.

Unexpectedly, Nanami burst into tears. "Saionji-kun… I'm so sorry… This is all my fault! I urged Aya and the others into doing this. I'm sorry!"

"Don't apologize to me," Kanata replied in a low voice. "I'm okay. But it's Miyu I'm worried about."

"You're really concerned about her, aren't you?" Aya said. He nodded.

"Keep taking care of her," she said as they prepared to leave.

Nanami, who was still sobbing, hiccupped, "Tell her I'm sorry."

"Hey, man," Santa said awkwardly. "I'm sorry we messed you up."

Kanata brushed it off with a wave of his hand. "It's fine, Santa. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to see Miyu…"

**Will things between Kanata and Miyu stay the same? I hope so! Haha.**


	8. confessions

"Miyu?" Kanata called as he knocked on her bedroom door. "They're gone. Can we talk?"

There was no reply, so he said, "I'm coming in."

He slid the door open and saw Miyu lying facedown on her bed, shaking with what he knew to be sobs.

He sat beside her and started stroking her soft blonde hair. "Everything's going to be all right. They won't post that picture anymore. Everything's back to normal."

To his surprise, she sat up and threw off his hand. "Back to normal," she repeated in a clipped tone. "Yeah. I'm going to take a bath." She marched off, rubbing her red-rimmed eyes.

Slowly, Kanata stood up, baffled. He decided to let her be. _Maybe she was just tired._

During the following days, however, it became clear to Kanata that Miyu was not 'just tired'.

She was acting like her cheerful, normal self when Aya and the others were around. But when she and Kanata were alone together, she acted aloof and cold. She didn't kiss, hug, or otherwise touch him anymore, and she stopped him from doing the same. Worse still, she was being even more pigheaded than usual, and their fights increased.

One day after school, they went grocery shopping again. Kanata dumped a pumpkin in their basket and asked, "What do you want for dinner?"

"Anything," she replied in the chilly tone she had taken to using on him lately.

Repressing the urge to yell, he asked, "How about pumpkin pie?"

"If you like."

"Okay, pumpkin pie it is." He swooped down and tried to kiss her cheek, but she pushed his face away, muttering, "Stop it, Kanata!"

Red in the face, Kanata turned away, hurt, angry and confused. _Why is she acting like this?_

Wanting to get her back to normal, he asked her timidly after dinner, "Hey, want to watch a DVD with me?"

Her reply was indifferent and simple. "No."

He tried again. "Maybe a chick flick?"

"No."

"How about a gory horror movie with lots of blood?"

"No."

He finally lost his temper. "Well, what do you like?"

"Nothing. I already told you I didn't want to watch a movie."

"Well, I _want_ you to watch a movie with me." He gripped her wrist and dragged her into the living room, where he pushed her onto the couch. "Stay right there," he ordered.

Scowling, Miyu rubbed her wrist and waited. A few moments later, Kanata was back with _The Sixth Sense_.

She felt a thrill of horror. "Don't you have other DVDs?"

"I do. But," he inserted the DVD into the player, "I want to watch this."

Kanata gave a satisfied smirk. He deliberately chose _The Sixth Sense_ because he knew scaredy-cat Miyu couldn't resist burying her face in his shoulders or chest during the scary parts.

To his disappointment, Miyu chose to bury her face in the pillow instead.

He hit pause on the remote. "I'm right here, you know. You can lean on me."

"No, I can't," she said, her voice muffled by the pillow.

Utterly disgruntled, he suddenly grabbed her shoulders and made her face him. Then he kissed her full on the mouth, muffling her protests.

Her lips were so soft and delicious, he didn't want to let go. He deepened the kiss, stroking her hair.

Miyu abruptly pulled away, a horrified look on her face. "Kanata —"

"I'm sorry," he said, immediately regretting his rash action. "Miyu, I just —"

But she was backing away from him as though he was a deadly virus. Still wearing an appalled expression, she turned on her heel and sped outside.

"Miyu!" he shouted, running after her. He lunged forward and grabbed her arm. "Miyu, listen —"

"What?" she gasped, tears running down her face.

"Please listen." He looked intently into her streaming eyes. "I'm sorry I kissed you. It's just that, I wanted you to be back to normal. You've been acting so distant and awkward with me ever since Santa and the others came 'round with that picture."

She swiped the tears from her face and stammered, "Of c-course I'd be awk-awk-awkward! Didn't you see that ph-photo? To everyone else, it looks like we're m-m-more than friends!"

"So what?" he said fiercely, very tightly gripping her shoulders again. "You shouldn't care what everyone thinks. At least _our_ friends know that you and I are just friends, and nothing more."

Miyu cried even harder at the last sentence. "That's it? _Just friends_?" She wrenched her arm from his grip. "You don't understand!"

"Then help me understand!" he bellowed, confused beyond endurance.

His shout seemed to calm her down a bit. At least, her words were slightly more comprehensible. "Kanata… I don't want us to be hugging or kissing if we're just friends."

"Why not? We've been doing it for weeks now."

"I know… But I realize now that if we keep it up," her voice became so soft that he had to strain to hear it, "I'll fall even harder for you."

Kanata wasn't sure he heard correctly. "What do you mean?"

"What if you get a girlfriend?" she said, hopelessly flapping her arms. "I'm sure she won't appreciate this. You see, this kind of treatment is for girlfriends only."

"You're not making any sense!" he snarled.

"I'm getting there!" she snapped back. "I want this to stop because I don't want to fall harder for you. I don't, I really don't.

I don't want anyone to assume we're dating because it hurts, really, _really _hurts, to think that you could never see me as anything more than a friend."

She took a deep, steadying breath and continued. "Kissing you now will only make me hurt more when you leave me, because I'll know what I'm missing.

I know you'll never love me in the same way," she whispered, "That's why this has to stop now. Before I get hurt any more."

They stood in the cool night breeze.

"Look, we can still be best friends," Miyu said tentatively. "But the sweet gestures have to stop. We can't — mmph!"

Her last words were muffled because Kanata pulled her to his side, and placed his mouth over hers.

When he finally let go of her, Miyu, gasping for breath, spluttered, "W-What the —?" There was a fierce sort of spark in his eyes which she never saw before.

"You idiot!" he shouted.

"What now?" she yelled back, her hands curling into fists.

"What did you do that for?"

"What the hell — " She was almost speechless with indignation. "You — you damn idiot! _You_ were the one who kissed _me_, and _you're _asking that question?"

"I didn't mean that!"

"Well, what did you mean?" she said, tired of this guessing game.

"I meant," he glared at her, "You put me through all your cold and distant crap because you love me? Dammit!"

"I — I never said I loved you!" she said, reddening.

"'_You'll never love me in the same way_,'" mimicked Kanata in a high-pitched, girly voice.

She folded her arms. "Well, it's true!"

"How can you be so sure?" he growled, pulling her by the waist. "And if I ever get a girlfriend," he added, "I'm quite sure she'll love me treating you like this."

"Why?" Miyu asked huffily.

"Because," he lowered his face to hers, their lips less than an inch away, "I want my girlfriend to be _you_, Miyu."


	9. bring on the heartbreak

He kissed her again

"What?" Miyu gasped, sure she heard him incorrectly.

"I want you to be my girlfriend," Kanata repeated.

She stared at him for what seemed like a long time. "I cannot believe this." She sounded dazed.

"Me, too," he said in a low voice, taking her hand.

All of a sudden, she jerked away and said icily, "I pour my heart out to you, and I get this?"

"What?" he said incredulously, very taken aback. He had expected her to be wild with happiness — to at least smile — but her reaction was quite the opposite.

"You're messing me around again!" she cried, pointing a shaking finger at him accusatorily. "You — you're saying all these things and holding me again. It's — it's messing with my head!"

She started to pace, tugging at the ends of her hair. "I can't _think_ straight when you're looking at me, holding me, kissing me!"

"Miyu!" he said shakily. "I'm not doing this to mess you up —"

She gave a loud, derisive laugh that almost sounded like a scream of despair. "Oh, right, Kanata! Because you really do love me!"

"I do!" he shouted, taking a step towards her.

Throwing him a look of loathing, she said, "We both know that you're lying, so please spare me."

With that, Miyu strode back inside, leaving Kanata speechless and heartbroken in the cold night.


	10. no reason

Things looked worse than ever

Things looked worse than ever.

Miyu and Kanata barely spoke a word to each other. She was still furious with what she thought was an attempt to fool her, and he was still humiliated by her refusal of his confession.

"It's all his fault," Miyu told her girlfriends when they asked her why she and Kanata weren't speaking anymore. She gave a detailed narration of Kanata's confession.

Nanami's jaw was hanging. "Miyu-chan! You and Saionji-kun _kissed_! This is a first for you, right?"

"That's not important, Nanami!" she replied impatiently, wringing her hands. "The point is, he tried to trick me into thinking that we could actually have a relationship. I swear, he is such a jerk!"

"But, Miyu-chan," Aya said cautiously, biting her lip, "Saionji-kun isn't the type to lie… I think he really meant it…"

"No, he didn't," Miyu said tartly, her fists curled, "He just thinks he loves me, but he really doesn't."

"Miyu-chan," Nanami said in a pacifying sort of tone, "why on earth would he just _think_ he loves you? It makes no sense."

She wailed. "Come _on_, you guys! He's the class president. The MVP of the basketball team. The _Bishounen Award_ winner for three years straight. Why would a guy like _that_ —" she widened her eyes, "fall for a girl like _me_?" She slumped, her head on her arms.

"Tenchi! Konishi!" a voice called out later that dismissal.

Nanami and Aya turned to see Kanata running towards them.

He panted, "Did Miyu… say… anything about me?"

The girls exchanged looks. "Quite a lot. She seems to think you were jerking her around."

"And quite right she was to think that," said a stern voice behind them.

"Nozomu-kun! Chris-chan! Kurosu-kun!" Aya said happily. "Hi!"

Kanata frowned a little at them, apparently not pleased at the interruption. "What do you mean, Hikarigaoka?"

"Geez, you're the smartest guy in class and yet you don't know a thing about women," Nozomu sighed, dramatically wiping his brow.

"Shame," chided Santa, enjoying Kanata's bewildered look. "What a real shame."

"Look, will someone please explain what you three are talking about?" Aya burst out. "I hate to admit it, but I am as clueless as Saionji-kun here."

Chris grinned and put her hands on her hips. "Very well. You see, our friend Kanata" she put her hands on Kanata's shoulders, "seems to be all at sea as to why our Miyu-chan reacted like that."

"You told the others about what Miyu and I?" Kanata hissed in exasperation to Aya and Nanami, who guiltily avoided his gaze. "Rumor-mongers…"

"Anyway," Chris said in a louder voice, "Miyu reacted like that because she loves you."

"That's… downright absurd! If she loves me, then she'd be over the moon that I confessed!"

"You have to understand," Nozomu added uncharacteristically quietly. "Miyu's been admiring you for so long, she feels like she's not good enough for you. She thinks she's beneath you."

Kanata guiltily remembered the times when he rubbed his achievements in her face. "Oooooh, crap."

"So that's why she thinks Saionji-kun is playing with her!" Aya suddenly said as brightly as if she just discovered the cure for cancer.

"Yup."

Kanata felt a rising panic. "Wait — then how does that help me?"

"You've got to convince her," Santa said.

"I don't know how."

He winked. "That's why you have us to help you."

"Help me," muttered Miyu under her breath. She was sitting in the bathtub, absorbed in her thoughts.

"Help me," she said again, talking to herself. She looked down at her chest and poked the spot directly above her heart. "Come on, heart. If we're going to get over Kanata, you're going to have to help me.

For instance, you should stop admiring the way he looks."

She scrubbed her scalp with shampoo. "And stop thinking about his kiss! It's going to drive me insane!"

Slathering conditioner on her golden locks, she kept muttering furiously to herself. Random words like "thinks I'm that stupid" and "not a doormat" were audible.

Above her muttering, a soft knock punctuated her thoughts. "Um, Miyu?"

Fury bubbled inside Miyu. "Go away!"

"Come on, we need to talk."

"No!"

"You can't ignore me forever!" Desperation crept into his voice.

"Just watch me!"

She hated herself for feeling warm and fuzzy that he still cared for her. Her heart was drumming rapidly in her chest.

Suddenly, the door slid open with the force of a hurricane.

Miyu shrieked, "Kanata! Get the heck out of here!" She grabbed her towel and shielded her body the best that she could.

Kanata was standing in the doorway with his eyes screwed tightly shut. "I'm not even peeking! I just need to talk to you!"

"You —" She couldn't even find her tongue to throw an insult at him. "I will talk to you when I am fully dressed!"

"I won't give you a chance to slip away from me again!" he replied, folding his arms.

Miyu gaped at him. She had never seen this side of Kanata before. "Are you that desperate to talk to me?"

A dull red flush was creeping into his face. "Maybe. Look, if I let you get dressed, will you swear not to run away?"

"I swear," she said dully, and Kanata left, saying as he closed the door, "I'll be waiting in the kitchen."

Miyu watched him leave and started drying herself off. She threw on her clothes and rubbed her hair with a fluffy pink towel.

Slowly, she lowered her towel, staring at the door. _Maybe I should make a run for it while I can,_ she thought. _Maybe Kanata's up to something._

The moment she thought it, she felt sickened with herself. She had always prided herself on keeping promises, and (she felt her stomach squirm with guilt) even if Kanata was fooling around with her, he didn't deserve to be lied to. She wouldn't stoop as low as that,

Sighing, she strode into the kitchen.

"Sit down." Kanata said, his voice unusually tense and nervous.

Miyu perched herself on the very edge of her seat. "What is so important that you barge in right in the middle of my bath?"

"Here's the thing." He took a very deep breath and said very fast, "I'm in love with you."

Seeing her mouth open to argue, he rushed on. "Look, I know you don't believe me, but I need to tell you this. I love you. I'm in love with you. This isn't some silly little crush, and I'm definitely not jerking you around. I love you, Miyu."

She opened her mouth, but closed it again. Obviously, she was speechless.

He reached for her hand, and took it as a good sign that she did not shake him off. "Miyu… We were best friends. You trusted me once. Couldn't you show me that same trust again, and at least believe me when I say I love you?"

Miyu blinked and stared at her left hand, where the promise ring still sat. Did she really trust Kanata?

_Yes_, a small voice in her head told her.

She blinked back her tears. "I believe you."

Relief broke across his face. "Really? That's great!"

She held up a hand to stop him. "Kanata… Before you get too happy, I have something to say, too."

His face fell. "Oh, okay."

She folded her hands. "You kissed me, right?"

"Yeah," he said nervously. "I'm sorry, Mi—"

But she held up her hands again.

"So, I have a question for you," she said seriously. She leaned forward. "Did I kiss you back?"

Kanata blinked. "What?"

"When we kissed," she repeated impatiently, "did I kiss you back?"

He screwed up his face, thinking hard. "Yes," he finally said, blushing slightly at the memory. "You did."

He hesitated. "Wh — why did you ask?"

Her face turned bright scarlet. "I, um, forgot if I kissed you back."

"Does that matter?" he demanded.

"Yes, of course!" she said indignantly. "That was our first kiss, and it would have been really unfair if I didn't kiss you back."

He stared at her for a moment, then slumped down on the table. He groaned, "Miyu… What does that have to do with anything that I've just told you?"

"Well, I had nothing else to say!" she defended. She stared at the shiny wooden tabletop.

"This is… useless," Kanata said in a flat voice, after a long silence.

"It is," she agreed.

Silence prevailed again.

"Look, it's not like I don't trust you," Miyu said abruptly. "I trust you plenty. I just don't know why you're into me."

To her surprise, he started laughing softly. "Miyu," he took her hands again, "I love you simply 'cause I do. Love doesn't need explanations. I fell for you not because my heart _wanted_ to. I just did. Does that make sense to you?"

"Somehow," she said, sheepishly adding, "Geez, I'm sorry I put you through all this."

"See, if you'd just talked to me," he said pointedly, "we'd have been together for weeks."

Suddenly, she leaned over, grabbed his face, and kissed him full on the mouth.

"Shut up and kiss me," she ordered.

"That is the only order I will take from you," he said as their lips met again.

"It's about time they worked things out," Nanami giggled as she peeked through the window using a pair of binoculars.

"Hey, it's my turn!" Aya whispered. "Hand over the binoculars."

Chris was giggling. "I'm so giddy!"

Nozomu kissed her cheek. "You're so beautiful when you're giddy and red."

"Ssh!" Santa said. "Before we get caught, I want to take a picture." He pulled out his camera, and with an evil grin, snapped a photo of the kissing teens.

The familiar click jogged Miyu and Kanata's memories. As one, they turned towards the window, where they saw their friends, one of them holding a camera. An evil grin was on his face.

"SANTA!!"

**There! I finally finished this. I wanted to end it on a light note 'cause most of my fics ended really sweetly… I wanted to make this different. Thanks to everyone who subscribed to this! I hope you enjoy! miyuXkanata forever! ******


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